It's crop dusting season! (And apparently blue fruit loop season too)
In Arkansas I saw two crop-dusters on the same day, both flying back and forth over the highway I was on. One passed no more than 20 feet in front of me, and maybe 10 feet over me. With those distances, it sure looks like the plane is headed straight for me... The second also was headed my direction but the timing was a little further off, or possibly just as close but behind me instead of passing right in front of me. The first one was an ultralight, and looked a lot like this (only bright yellow): http://www.zenithair.com/stolch701/pic09/crop-spray.jpg and the second looked more like a regular small plane. When googling for crop dusting images, I was surprised how many of them were related to articles about crashes. Glad I didn't see that before I saw the planes headed toward me!
I think that the people who stayed in my hotel room prior to me in Jonesboro, Arkansas were professional hotel housekeeping testers. The housekeeping staff at the hotel failed the test, but I passed! I didn't know that I was being tested, so it took me until morning to find everything (and I can't believe I didn't think to look in the drawers -- I might have scored even higher if I'd done that).
When I checked in, they upgraded me to a suite, and offered me a late checkout, which I accepted. She said they would let housekeeping know, so when I didn't find a "Do not disturb" sign in my room, I didn't give it a second thought.
This "suite" was configured in a peculiar way. The entrance to the suite opened into a sitting room with a closet. Through the sitting room at the back was a door to the toilet and tub. To the right of the entrance was a short hallway with a sink in it that led to the bedroom. The bedroom had a second closet. To get from bed to the toilet involved a walk down the hallway past the sink, through the sitting room, and into the bathroom.
Now for that housekeeping test that I told you about!
The first thing I found was a blue Fruit Loop on the floor by the trash can next to the sink.
Then I discovered that one of the lamps in the bedroom had a faulty switch -- the only way I could turn it off was to unplug it.
Then I found a blue Fruit Loop by the trash can in the bathroom:
When it was time to get ready for bed, I went looking for the folding luggage rack. I didn't see it out anywhere, so I went looking for it in the closet. When I opened the closet door in the sitting room, I found a bag of empty beverage containers (mostly beer cans):
But I didn't find the luggage rack, so I went to check the other closet, and I discovered that the closet door wasn't attached, it was just leaned up against the opening in the wall. I didn't put it back as carefully positioned as I had found it:
I did find the luggage rack in that closet, so I opened my suitcase and got ready for bed. Just as I was about to turn in, I noticed blue Fruit Loop #3 on the carpet outside the bathroom door:
I chuckled and went to bed. I guess whoever was there before, just didn't like the blue ones.
In the morning I stepped into the shower and saw, just above eye level, the remnant of a full-size bar of soap (not at all the same shape as the hotel-provided soap) on a corner shelf in the tub/shower:
Then when I was drying off, I noticed the distinct smell of tobacco smoke in the bath towel. I grabbed the other bath towel and took a good whiff -- it smelled just fine, so I finished drying with it. (This is a 100% non-smoking hotel, so it was particularly surprising. Generally smokers don't stay in all-non-smoking hotels.)
By this time, I was making a list because I didn't want to forget to mention anything.
Then there was a knock at the door. It was 8:45 a.m. I peeked out and it was a woman in a housekeeping uniform. I opened the door a crack and she said cheerily, "Just checking!"
Out of all of these things, that last thing was the one that actually bothered me, mainly because I'd asked for a late check out and was told that housekeeping would be notified. I looked around again for a "Do Not Disturb" sign in my room, then I went out and asked the housekeepers to give me one. Fortunately, they had one. I told them that I was going to be coming and going a bit before checking out and I would remove the sign when I actually left. I didn't want them to come in and collect any of the things I'd found before I had a chance to have my test scored. 😊
When checking out I asked to speak to the manager. There was no general manager on duty, but the housekeeping manager was there, and I gave her a tour of my room. She was clearly very embarrassed -- she told me she was just back to work after surgery and would look into the issues that I'd raised. She thanked me for the information and for not coming at her with anger like the previous person had.
So far the general manager has not contacted me. I'm not sure what (if anything) I want to do about that. I was thinking that I'd like some form of compensation (extra reward points, perhaps?) but I don't know what the bigger picture is at that hotel -- I don't know what might happen if I pursue this. I do know that the housekeeping manager just got back to work after surgery and she took what I said to heart. I got to amuse myself (and perhaps you too) by writing this blog post. No real harm was done (except to some blue Fruit Loops). Maybe the best thing to do this time is to let it go.
I do wish I'd opened the drawers in that room... I wonder what I'd have found...😜
I think that the people who stayed in my hotel room prior to me in Jonesboro, Arkansas were professional hotel housekeeping testers. The housekeeping staff at the hotel failed the test, but I passed! I didn't know that I was being tested, so it took me until morning to find everything (and I can't believe I didn't think to look in the drawers -- I might have scored even higher if I'd done that).
When I checked in, they upgraded me to a suite, and offered me a late checkout, which I accepted. She said they would let housekeeping know, so when I didn't find a "Do not disturb" sign in my room, I didn't give it a second thought.
This "suite" was configured in a peculiar way. The entrance to the suite opened into a sitting room with a closet. Through the sitting room at the back was a door to the toilet and tub. To the right of the entrance was a short hallway with a sink in it that led to the bedroom. The bedroom had a second closet. To get from bed to the toilet involved a walk down the hallway past the sink, through the sitting room, and into the bathroom.
Now for that housekeeping test that I told you about!
The first thing I found was a blue Fruit Loop on the floor by the trash can next to the sink.
Then I discovered that one of the lamps in the bedroom had a faulty switch -- the only way I could turn it off was to unplug it.
Then I found a blue Fruit Loop by the trash can in the bathroom:
When it was time to get ready for bed, I went looking for the folding luggage rack. I didn't see it out anywhere, so I went looking for it in the closet. When I opened the closet door in the sitting room, I found a bag of empty beverage containers (mostly beer cans):
But I didn't find the luggage rack, so I went to check the other closet, and I discovered that the closet door wasn't attached, it was just leaned up against the opening in the wall. I didn't put it back as carefully positioned as I had found it:
I did find the luggage rack in that closet, so I opened my suitcase and got ready for bed. Just as I was about to turn in, I noticed blue Fruit Loop #3 on the carpet outside the bathroom door:
I chuckled and went to bed. I guess whoever was there before, just didn't like the blue ones.
In the morning I stepped into the shower and saw, just above eye level, the remnant of a full-size bar of soap (not at all the same shape as the hotel-provided soap) on a corner shelf in the tub/shower:
Then when I was drying off, I noticed the distinct smell of tobacco smoke in the bath towel. I grabbed the other bath towel and took a good whiff -- it smelled just fine, so I finished drying with it. (This is a 100% non-smoking hotel, so it was particularly surprising. Generally smokers don't stay in all-non-smoking hotels.)
By this time, I was making a list because I didn't want to forget to mention anything.
Then there was a knock at the door. It was 8:45 a.m. I peeked out and it was a woman in a housekeeping uniform. I opened the door a crack and she said cheerily, "Just checking!"
Out of all of these things, that last thing was the one that actually bothered me, mainly because I'd asked for a late check out and was told that housekeeping would be notified. I looked around again for a "Do Not Disturb" sign in my room, then I went out and asked the housekeepers to give me one. Fortunately, they had one. I told them that I was going to be coming and going a bit before checking out and I would remove the sign when I actually left. I didn't want them to come in and collect any of the things I'd found before I had a chance to have my test scored. 😊
When checking out I asked to speak to the manager. There was no general manager on duty, but the housekeeping manager was there, and I gave her a tour of my room. She was clearly very embarrassed -- she told me she was just back to work after surgery and would look into the issues that I'd raised. She thanked me for the information and for not coming at her with anger like the previous person had.
So far the general manager has not contacted me. I'm not sure what (if anything) I want to do about that. I was thinking that I'd like some form of compensation (extra reward points, perhaps?) but I don't know what the bigger picture is at that hotel -- I don't know what might happen if I pursue this. I do know that the housekeeping manager just got back to work after surgery and she took what I said to heart. I got to amuse myself (and perhaps you too) by writing this blog post. No real harm was done (except to some blue Fruit Loops). Maybe the best thing to do this time is to let it go.
I do wish I'd opened the drawers in that room... I wonder what I'd have found...😜
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